Locomotive



Jan. 7, 1936. M. H. RQBERTS pocoMoTIvE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1952' )y INVENTOR WW ATTORNEYS M. H. ROBERTS- LOCOMQT IVE Jan. 7, 1936.

Filed May 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 00 5 M 45 55. A- "m. w l- CIV| ll Y 1 7 MV 1 5 m Rd 5 2 .WJ E 0 4 Patented Jan. 7,, 1936 PATENT OFFICE.

2,026,707 LoooMo'nvr:

Montague H. Roberts, Englewood, N. 1., assignor to Franklin Railway Supply Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of-Delaware Application May 14, 1932, Serial No. 611,316 4 Claims. (01. 105- 48) This invention relates to locomotives and is particularly usefulin connection with locomotives which are equipped with booster motors.

V The invention, furthermore, has reference to ,5 stopping 'ofslipping of the driving wheels, it being the primary object to provide a simple and convenient means for controlling the steam supply to the cylinders of the mainengine as well as to the booster motor in order to permit extremely 10 rapid or almost instantaneous reduction in the steam supply and thus quickly to overcome the slipping tendency and, 'as a result, avoid the substantial waste of steam which heretofore resulted'f-rom manipulation of the main locomotive 15, throttle for the purpose of stopping slipping.

As an additional object, the invention contem plates the use of means for independently reducing orshutting off the steam supplies to the main cylinders and to the booster motor and also, pref- 20 erably, the use of a-commoncontrolling member for the two independent means. With this arrangement slippage of "the main drivers or of the wheels to which the booster motor is coupled may be corrected or stopped without interfering with 25 the normal operation of whichever set of driving wheels is not slipping.

How the foregoing objects and advantages together withothers which will occur to those skilled in the art are obtained will be more apparent 30 from the following description making reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l isa somewhat diagrammatic layoutof the steam connections and control devices of a locomotive equipped with a booster motor, the

35 structure illustrated in this figure being arranged in accordance with this'invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of one of the main cylinders of the locomotive with certain portions of the controlling mechanismof this invention ap- 40 plied thereto;

:Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through a slip control valve which I prefer to employ;

. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through a manually operable control valve adaptedto oo- 46 operate with other parts in the control of steam supplyto the booster as well as to the main engine cylinders; and r i Figure 5 is a sectional view through a fluid pressure operated-motor device-which I have em- 50 ployed in order to actuate certain valves.

Referring 'to the drawings, particularly Figures 1 and '2, a cylinder of the engine for the main locomotive drivers is designated by the numeral 6 and the steam chest therefor is shown-at I.

55 main steamchest receives its supply through the dry pipe 8, this pipe ordinarily being extended upwardly from the cylinder and its steam chest for connection with a superheater (not shown) through the, main locomotive throttle valve 9. The valve 9 "may conveniently be provided with a 5 manually controllable lever l ordinarily arranged in the cab of the locomotive.

As is now customary in this art, the cylinders l I of the booster motor 1 are supplied with steam throughthe supply pipe I2 which communicates 10 with the drypipe 8 at a point between the throttle valve 9 and the steam chest I. The connection 12 preferably has a manually controllable shutoff valve l3 therein and also a motor actuated throttle valve I4, the latter constituting the 15 means by which the booster steam supply is normally controlled in operation.

The booster motor includes agear [6 carried by the crank shaft [1 of the motor proper, an idler gear 18 anda driven gear l9 mounted on the axle 20 20 for the pair of wheels (not shown) to be driven. The idler gear is preferably pivotally mounted as by the rocker mechanism 2| so that it may couple and uncouplethe gears l6 and [9. For the purpose of entraining the gearing a fluid oper- 2 ated motor device 22 is preferably employed, this device being supplied with an actuating fluid, such as air, in a manner now to be set forth.

The booster motor is provided with a controlling and actuating system, all the various parts of which are preferably maintained under what has now become well known in this art as the booster latch 23. This latch serves to actuate a valve device 24 for controlling the passage of the actuating fluid ('usuallyair) entering through the supply pipe 25. When the latch is moved to throw the booster into operation air pressure is admitted, in the manner now well understood in this art, to the connections 28 and 21. The first of these connections extends to the booster entraining motor 22 while the latter is extended to the preliminary throttle valve 28.

Although this portion of the apparatus forms no part of thepresent invention per se, it might be observed that upon the admission of air to the valve 28, communication through the auxiliary booster steam supply line 29 is opened. This auxiliary supply may be taken from any suitable source and discharges into the main supply line l2 between the throttle valve l4 and the booster cylinders, so that upon admission of the auxiliary supply, sufficient steam is fed to the cylinders to provide for idling thereof and thus ensure proper entrainment under the influence of 56 through the timing reservoir 33 to the booster cylinder cocks 34. Since this particular portion of the apparatus forms no part of the present invention per se, its construction and operation will not be further considered. v

The pipe 39 also has a branch 30b which is extended to a slip control valve device 35, this device being shown in enlarged vertical section in Figure 4. By reference to the latter figure, it will be seen that the branch 3% normally communicates with the connection 36 through the valve chambers 31 and 38 when the valve member 39 is not seated (the position shown in Figure 4). Thus the air from line 39 also passes through the connections 30b and 36 to the booster throttle actuating motor 49, this motor being illustrated in detail in Figure 5.

By reference to Figure 5-it will be seen that upon admission of air, through the connection 36, to the upper side of the piston 4|, this piston and its actuating rod 42 are moved downwardly against the pressure of the return spring 43. The actuating rod is connected with the booster throttle valve l4, ina manner which need not be considered in detail herein, in order to open the throttle upon downward movement thereof and to close the throttle by upward movement under the influence of the spring 43. At this point it should also be observed that the air may very quickly be exhausted from the actuating motor 49 and the connection 36 by movement of'the hand lever 44, which is pivoted as at 45, to the left' (as viewed in Figure 4) to the position indicated at 44c. This movement raises the valve member 46 as well as the valve 39 by means of the tappet 4i. Such movement, furthermore, closes communication between the chambers 31 and 38 (and thus between the pipes 39b and 36) and at the same time opens communication between the chamber 38 and chamber 48, the latter communicating with the atmosphere, for example, through a port 49.

Turning now more particularly to Figures 1, 2

' and 3, it will be seen that I have provided a slip control valve mechanism for the steam supply to the main engine steam chest I. This mechanism, as clearly seen in Figure 3, includes a chamber 56 with the interior of which the dry pipe 8 communicates. It will also beseen that the boostersupply line I2 is coupled with the interior oi'the chamber 50 at a point toward the upper end thereof. Insidethis chamber I have provided a slip control valve 5| preferably working vertically in a valve casing 52, the latter beingarranged substantially centrally within the chamber 59 and providing an annular steam passage 56 through which the steam delivered through the pipe 8 passes downwardly into the chest throughthe connection 53. Upon downward movement of the valve 5| the communication to the connection 53 is'cut off since the valve then enters the cylindrical bore 54. In the preferred arrangement, however, valve 5| is provided with ports 55 extended therethrough and the valve is further so constructed that upon movement to its closed or lower position steam may pass from the annular cavity 56 to the interior of the casing 52 and thence through the ports 55 to be discharged into the steam chest connection 53.

, Before considering the means provided for 5 actuating this valve, it should be noted that closure thereof has no efiect whatever upon the normal supply of steam to the booster motor through the supply line l2.

To eifect a closing movement of .valve 5|, this 10 valve being open during all normal operation of the locomotive, I have provided a motor device 49a which, in all essential respects, may be exactly similar to the motor- 49 which is illustrated in detail'in Figure 5. In this instance, however, and 15 asclearly seen in Figures 1 and 2, the motor 40a is mounted in a position inverted with respect to the motor 49 and the actuating rod 42a thereof is connected to lever 51 rotatable with shaft 58. Another lever 57a, also rotatable with shaft 58, 20 is coupled with valve 5| by link 59.

Actuating fluid or air for operating the motor 49a isv supplied thereto through the connection 69 (see Figures 1 and 4) which communicates with chamber 6| in the valve device 35. The connec- 25 tion 60 may have a branch 66a to be extended to the actuating motor for the slip control valve of another cylinder. An air supply line 62, leading from the air reservoir (not shown), communicates with chamber 63 in the device 35 and, 30"

as will be seen from inspection of Figure 4, upon movement of the manual lever 44 to the right (see dotted line showing 441)), the operating member 64 raises valves 65 and 66, this movement, in turn, effecting a closing of communication between 35 chamber BI and chamber and an opening of communication between chambers 6| and 63. Thus it will be seen that movement of the lever 44 to the right provides for the passage of air from the supply line 62 to the motor device 40a, 40' with the result that the slip control valve 5| for the main cylinder chest 1 is closed. Upon return or the lever 44 to its mid or normal position (see full line showing in Figure 4) air is very quickly exhausted from the cylinder in the motor 40a as 5 well as from the connection69, through chamber 6|, chamber 48 and the exhaust port 49.

Springs 61 and 68 may be employed in the valve device 35 to normally maintain the two pairs of valves (39-46 and 66-65) in their lower positions, while a spring device 69 may conveniently be associated with plunger member 10 to ensure return of the lever 44 to its mid position after being displaced toward either side.

In considering the operation of the foregoing 5 5" structure. attention-is first called to the fact that theslip control valve 5| for the main engine cylinders is located in the supply line closely adjacent thereto. Its effect, therefore, is almost instantaneous upon actuation of the motor de-- 60 vice 40a, it being noted that the power will be reduced without waiting for a drop in pressure all the way back through the supply pipe to the main throttle 9. Thus, if the main drivers slip, in making a diflicult start, actuation of the 65 manual lever 44 almost instantaneously reduces the supply of steam to the main cylinders, and by this extremely rapid reduction in steam flow, very considerable steam is saved.

Further with respect to the slip control for the 70' main cylinders, it is to be observed that the valve 5| is so constructed as to provide for the flow of a small amount of steam therethrough even in closed position. The advantage of this will be more apparent when it is considered that in prior 7 5 practice, when the main drivers oi the locomotive slip, it .has been customary to actuate the main throttle 9 to substantially or completely matically providing for the passage of a predetermined amount of steam therethrougheven in what might be termed closed position and thus providing against wastage of steam.

In addition to the foregoing, in case of slippage of the wheels driven by the booster motor,

this may alsobe quickly and conveniently corrected by manipulation of the hand lever 44 to close the main booster throttle l4, it being noted in this connection that the action is much more rapid than would result if the booster latch were actuated to throw the entire motor out of operation. It would be undesirable to completely throw the booster out of operation, not only since it would take a relatively great length of time for the air to drain from the entire booster control system, but also since this action would actually disentrain the booster gearing so that an entirely new start would have to be made. With the arrangement herein disclosed the booster throttle l4 only m'ay be effectively and quickly actuated to temporarily close off the supply of steam, the arrangements further being such that the entrainment of the booster gearing will be maintained for the brief interval during which the steam supply is reduced, it being noted that an auxiliary steam supply will also be admitted to the booster at this time through the pipe 29. This auxiliary or entraining system together with the steam entrapped in the main booster supply line beyond the throttle. l4 provides enough steam to maintain a driving torque which is sufiicient to prevent disentrainment of the booster gearing for the relatively short interval since, in making a diificult start, the engineer may easily and quickly correct for slipping of either one of the power units and need not perform any but the simplest possible operation, i. e., displacement of the, lever 44 in one direction or the other according to which unit is slipping.

Finally, it is of considerable advantage to employ the arrangements disclosed, particularly the arrangement of the booster steam supply to receive steam from the pipe (8 entirely independently of the position of the slip control valve 5 5| for the main engine, as this permits control of slipping of the main drivers without in any way affecting booster operation.

What I claim is:-

1. In a locomotive, the combination of a main l0 driving engine, a booster motor, a main throttle valve for controlling the supply of steam to said engine and to said motor, booster controlling mechanism including a throttle valve therefor,

and slip control mechanism for the engine and 15 for the motor including a. slip control valve for said engine, an actuating device for closing the booster throttle, and a common controlling means for said device and said slip control valve.

2. In a locomotive, the combination of a main 2-0 driving engine, a booster motor, a main throttle valve for controlling the supply of steam to said engine and to said motor, connections extended from said main throttle valve to the engine and to the motor, a slip control valve for said en- 25 gine in the connection extended thereto arranged so as not to interfere with the passage of steam through the booster steam connection, a booster throttle valve in the booster connection, an actuating device for closing the booster throttle, and a common controlling means for said device and said slip control valve.

3. In a locomotive, the combination of a main driving engine, a booster motor, a main throttle valve for controlling the supply of steam to said engine and to said motor, booster controlling mechanism including a throttle valve therefor, and slip control mechanism for the engine and for the motor including aslip control valve for said engine, an actuating device for closing the booster throttle, and a common controlling means for said device and said slip control valve, said common controlling means including a manually operable member movable in two directions, to-

gether with means for actuating said slip cont5 trol valve upon movement of said member in one direction and means for actuating said device upon movement of said member in the other direction.

4. In a locomotive, the combination of a main driving engine, a booster motor, a main throttle valve with connections for controlling the supply of steam to said engine, booster controlling mechanism including a throttle valve therefor, and slip control-mechanism for the engine and 5 for the motor including a slip control valve for said engine, an actuating device for closing the booster throttle, and a common controlling means for said device and said slip control valve.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS. 

